The English Football League (EFL) playoffs are interesting to watch. The teams play with the knowledge that promotion to the English Premier League is at stake. In recent times, there have been some upsets that the footballing world could not believe. In this post, we look at some recent playoff upsets that some people cannot let go of.

1. Derby County – 2018/19

Derby County FC under Frank Lampard as the head coach looked primed for promotion during the entire 2018/19 season. While this was Lampard’s first senior managerial job, he was doing impressively. His team’s style of play and his focus on young talent won him love among the fans.

It would, however, be one of his former teammates, John Terry’s team, which would end their bid for promotion. In the 2018/2019 playoff final at Wembley, Aston Villa, under Dean Smith and Terry as a coach, beat Derby 2 – 1 to gain promotion to the EPL as the third team. That playoff defeat for Derby serves as one of the greatest EFL playoff upsets in recent times.

2. Aston Villa – 2017/18

While Aston may have had the final say in the 2018/ 2019 playoff final, a year earlier, that was not the case. After an impressive season under Steve Bruce as manager and John Terry as captain, the team looked set for promotion.

Their dreams would, however, come crashing after a 1 – 0 defeat by bitter rivals Fulham at Wembley. A 23rd-minute goal by Tom Cairney ensured that Fulham’s impressive run that season ended with promotion to the Premier League.

The Playoff defeat resulted in the sacking of Steve Bruce as manager and the appointment of Dean Smith. Additionally, a squad overhaul followed. These drastic measures eventually paid off with Aston Villa gaining promotion the following season after defeating Derby in the Playoff final.

The English Football League (EFL) is always viewed by many as a less classy football league. It is no wonder when a player makes the switch to the EFL from the premier league, and many people receive this news with a lot of scepticism. In this post, we look at some world-class players who made shocking moves to teams in the EFL.

1. Wayne Rooney – Derby County

Not many people expected that Wayne Rooney would make the switch to Derby County. The England and Manchester United top scorer and the former captain made the switch after a stint in the MLS. Rooney left Manchester United at the end of the 2017/2018 season. He then had a stint at Everton before moving to the MLS with DC United and finally making the switch back to English football with Derby County.

2. John Terry

Many expected that John Terry would end his career at Chelsea where he had become a legend during his playing days. However, things would not work out as planned, and he made the switch to Aston Villa at the end of the 2017/2018 season. He stayed on as player-coach for that season before becoming part of the coaching staff a season later. He is now a coach under Dean Smith with Aston Villa playing in the Premier League.

3. John Mikel Obi

This Nigerian midfielder is synonymous with the Jose Mourinho reign at Chelsea. Mikel left Chelsea at the end of the 2017/2018 season to join Tianjin Teda in China. A year later, he made his return to English football this time with EFL side Middlesbrough. Mikel was a regular starter for Chelsea, and he even won a Champions League medal with them. He left Middlesbrough to join Turkish side Trabzonspor. He, however, remains one of the most surprising former EPL player signings by an EFL club.

Being the manager of a football team is a job without the security of tenure. In this profession, many managers do not last long. Performance is key to longevity in the job. In this post, we look at some of the longest-serving managers for their clubs in the English Football League (EFL) in the current season since their appointment. Read on.

1. Lee Johnson – Bristol City

Lee Johnson is currently the longest-serving manager in his post with an EFL Championship club since his appointment. The Bristol City manager continues to coach the team four years into the job since his appointment in February 2016. Lee, who turns 39 this year, has transformed Bristol’s way of play to make it a team that consistently upsets top-performing teams. It is interesting to see what the future will hold for this promising manager.

2. Tony Mowbray – Blackburn

A former defender himself, Mowbray has helped transform Blackburn’s defence into one that concedes fewer goals in the EFL. While the team has had its ups and downs, the board continues to trust Mowbray’s leadership and has thus kept him in the position for three years running. Compared to other managers that have taken charge of the team before, Mowbray offers the promise of returning Blackburn to its former glory.

3. Paul Cook – Wigan Athletic

53-year-old Paul Cook is one among the many managers that Wigan Athletic has had in the last ten years. Notably, he has been the longest-serving since the team’s relegation from the Premier League. For the two and a half years that he has been in charge at Wigan, he has worked on a squad overhaul that saw the team return to the EFL Championship after its relegation to League One. Cook continues to rebuild the team, and it’s interesting to see if he can get them back to the EPL.